Party workers create ruckus at Congress meet

Pandemonium prevailed at the Congress meeting, which was convened to discuss about the preparations to be made as part of D K Shivakumar taking charge as president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), in a few days.

The meeting was held at the Congress office in the city. The party workers started abusing each other and were involved in fisticuffs, right in the presence of KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed, for not mentioning the names of minority community leaders, during a speech.

The commotion started as soon as KPCC member H K Mahesh completed his welcome speech. One of the leaders, Abdul, alleged that the party depends on minority community for votes, but is embarrassed to mention the names of the community leaders.

A section of the party workers supported him and started shouting that there was no need to conduct a meeting.

Another group of party workers also raised voice and alleged: “You people vote for BJP during elections and now demand that your names be mentioned. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

This resulted in heated exchange of words, and they started pushing each other. Though party leaders Gayathri Shanthegowda, NSUI president Manjunath, district president Javagal Manjunath, MLC M A Gopalaswamy and others pleaded them to stop, they continued to abuse each other in foul language. Meanwhile, KPCC vice president B Shivaramu left the meeting.

Saleem Ahmed tried to pacify them, saying: “There is no religious discrimination in the Congress, as Congress itself is a religion. The people of all communities get an opportunity. I am an example for this. Give me the list of those who created ruckus. I will suspend them tomorrow.”